Monday, August 1, 2016

Family News, Civic Holiday, Retirement Home,

On Friday we got a call from Matt's daughter. Matt is now a great grandfather to a lovely little girl called Nieve. Everyone in England is ecstatic as she is the first grandchild for either of Matt's daughters and obviously his first great grandchild. I am told Nieve's father is besotted. From the sound of her, I think Nieve's grandmother is the same.

Today is a holiday in Canada, Civic Holiday, so obviously not too many people are earning their daily bread. It also means we get a rest from the construction work going on all over this building. That, of course, is the only benefit to us retired people to whom holiday weekends don't mean a heck of a lot any more. Stores, of course, are closed as are many other places. I think, nowadays, in Ontario we have a holiday every month since they introduced Family Day for February. No, I'm wrong, I just Googled. Although there are days like Mother's and Father's Day, there are no days off in April. May and June unless Easter falls in April. I hadn't realised until I Googled that not all provinces celebrate the same stat days nor do they all call them the same when they do coincide. Apparently some people who have to work on Monday, for instance, don't get overtime pay because it isn't considered a stat day. Very puzzling, one would think it would be the same across country.

I am pleased to say our home is back to normal again after all the buggy upheaval. At least if it were ever to happen again I know how to swing into action immediately. I figure I could run a pest control company very easily LOL.

Presently I have a friend who isn't too well at the moment so she is presently staying in a retirement home in order to have someone on call for 24 hours for a while until she gets to see the specialists etc. etc. The place at which is staying looks delightful and she says the rooms are clean and nice, but the food is awful. She has been sending me details of the menus and they sound pretty revolting. However, it now turns out that most of the kitchen staff have called in sick (a holiday weekend, go figure) so maybe things will improve when they return. I do hope so for her sake. I looked the place up on line when she first mentioned she would be going there. Talk about expensive. I hope we never have to go to such a place because I have heard the government run homes are dreadful.

I am getting somewhat teed off. I am the most unpolitical person I know (well Matt too) and have had nothing to do with any of the political parties in Canada. I have been getting emails from both the Conservatives and the Liberals about various things and now, if you please this morning (Sunday) I got an email purportedly from Justin Trudeau himself, asking me to subscribe to a funding drive. I then got a second one this afternoon. I am disgusted and annoyed particularly because as a pensioner, I could do with an increase in my pension which they are doing nothing about.

It's a funny thing about me, I have only to see the word chocolate and I perk right up - maybe you are the same. Anyway, here is a chocolate recipe I found on Sunday.

My mother is in a long term care facility and I know how expensive they are. We pretty much have a holiday every month here in the States too though I think April and March are only if Easter falls during those months.

It must be so nice to see a new baby in the family. Glad your place is getting back to normal and hopefully no more reoccurrence of these bugs. Thankfully I have today off which I am happy about and wish we had a holiday every month:) we don't have one in November and we should for the 11th. Remembrance Day is something we should honour. We have a place called Extendicare which would be a horrible place for any older person to live in thankfully my mom is in Heidehof which is one of the best. It is very clean and the staff are friendly and watchful over the people. My mom has to share a room but it works out well and she gets assistance for the room. She only has a little over $100 left for personal expenses but she doesn't need more. I do agree that there are many retirement homes that the average retired person(s) can't afford these places. It's a shame and it should be changed.

It just goes to show what can happen in the world when we get older or mentally unstable for that matter. I don't understand why governments don't fund nursing homes better because anyone could end up in one. Were all humans and we need proper food and old catches up with us all. Congratulations to Matt on the birth of his lovely daughter Nieve

Congratulations on the new family addition! We have 2 friends named Nieve although they are both Irish ladies and spell it the tradition Irish way Niamh which means light/radiance .. But Nieve is also a common Spanish surname, meaning Snow!

Thanks Sue, are you back in the UK now? I wondered how the Irish spelling went. No wonder they didn't choose that, no-one would ever know how to pronounce it. Knew it meant snow didn't know it was a surname.

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About Me

Happily married for 45 years, originally from the UK, living in Canada now. Interested in cooking, reading and wildlife conservation. Read more at http://satimaflavell.blogspot.ca/2009/02/fresh-fields-reading-and-recipes.html